Update on Bringing Our New Kids Home!

So here we are.  24 Hours away from beginning the process to meet our kids and bring them home with us. Leaving the farm behind is stressful but knowing our police officer son will be here to house and animal sit while we're gone is comforting.  Anxiety mounts, but its a good anxiety...at least most of it.  Will our new children like us or will they be disappointed?  Will they take to us quickly or will it take a while to capture them?  What will our other young children think?  What will they do?  What is going through their little minds as they watch 2 other children being grafted into our family?

While it is difficult at times to determine what our 3 youngest boys are thinking, I think its safe to say they are both excited and nervous.  True to their history, they handle emotional stimulation with regressive behavior.  All kinds of things are popping up this week that we haven't had to deal with much over the past 6 months.  This is somewhat predictable and it is why we knew that we could not travel to meet our new children and not take them with us.  It would have ignited their worst fears in life and we simply could not do that to them.

In spite of the increased anxiety, the boys have also shown amazing resiliency and compassion for our new children.  Each evening at the dinner table they ask "when do we leave to get our new kids?"   They are genuinely excited and this adoption has served to help them expand their worlds beyond themselves in order to think of others.  We are proud of the progress our boys have made and especially proud of the acceptance that they have already demonstrated for our new children.

We can't fathom how little children comprehend how this works. It is so unnatural for kids not to have a home and family from the start and to see them getting excited about getting a family or adding to our family in this way is still so strange. We are glad that they are excited, it is just amazing that they can come to any kind of understanding in their little minds about it. To our boys, families just add more people/children at different times and to them "getting" these two is normal. They are not phased by that part at all. They are definitely more excited than anything.

I think there is a spiritual lesson here.  When one is born into God's kingdom, isn't one of the things that He asks of us is that we share His love and good news with others?   In other words, think of somebody else long enough to help them in life?

That's where we are today.  We wait expecting, excited and, yes, anxiously for the rest of God's provision, which as of today is $5,000.  We continually remind ourselves to not get sidetracked by what we see in the natural and re-focus on what we see in our mind and spirit's eye...and we break out all over again with thanks and gratitude to be a part of something so special as to take care of His little ones!  We are reminded of Pillar 12 (see my book, 12 Pillars & a Prayer) and we join with the Apostle Paul in "being anxious for nothing, but by prayers and petitions, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God...and His peace will guard your hearts and minds" (Philippians 4:4-8).

You can go to www.simplesolutions4.com and scroll down to donate to help us bring our 2 children home!

Christmas gifts

"The only thing left is to finalize the flights and buy the tickets" the social worker said on the other end of the phone.  We've been waiting for so long and the day is finally here.  Within the week, we will have our 4 new children and all of a sudden the struggles along the way seem to fade as we busily prepare for their arrival, as well as the holidays.  Karen is busy with holiday shopping and last minute preparations while Russell is working around the clock to remodel a bathroom.  Right now, we're a little numb from the process and even more overwhelmed with the last minute preparations.  But the excitement is hard to contain and we can't wait to receive these precious gifts into our home in time for Christmas.  We'll write a little more later in the week.  Until then...

Time is drawing near

Today we put the finishing touches on rooms, yard and home in anticipation of receiving our children very, very soon into our home.  The excitement of meeting mid-week has us in a certain "final phase nesting response" over the past few days.  We cannot hardly stand the wait much more and even though its a reality upon us, the entire thing seems a bit surreal right now.  We will try to blog throughout the week as we come face to face with our 4 newest children!

Happy Father's Day to each of you dad's out there!

Happy Father's Day to each of you dad's out there!  
I've played on championship athletic teams, walked across the stage to receive my doctoral diploma, and even jumped off a 40-foot railroad bridge into a Tennessee river (not smart, do not try this at home!), but nothing has ever been more thrilling than being a father...and I am serious when I say that, nothing!

I will never forget each time I first laid eyes on my children and felt the amazement of a new life.  The joy that I felt and continue to feel as they have grown is comparable to no other feeling in the world.  Baby's first steps, the first time they said that magical word (Daddy!), "Boys Club Weekends" and the annual Nutcracker recital are memories that, like the commercial says, "ARE PRICELESS"!

But what if?  Now that Karen & I are a little older, we have begun to realize that what we took for granted in our own childhood and what we've been able to pass on to our children, was not the life that every child has been granted.  Not every child has been fortunate enough to have a mom and/or dad to play with them, tuck them in at night, play ball with them or hug them when they hurt on the inside.  Unfortunately, there are some children who will never have a home and be a part of a family.

Some have fathered, but not all are fathers.  In my work as a psychologist, I often work with behaviorally troubled young adolescent males.  To my amazement, the modern day right-of-passage seems to be to father a child.  One 16 year old boy with whom I worked, had fathered 2 children already, had one girlfriend pregnant and was looking to find another willing partner at the time he was in my office!  He spent no time with any of his children, offered them no financial support, and provided no model of responsible living whatsoever.  He fathered children, but provided virtually nothing in terms of being a father.

The innocent pay the price.  While this boy was an extreme, who pays the price?  Unfortunately, it is the child who is left to face a world that offers very little support and personal care.  The foster care system is overrun with these children and orphanages all over the world are trying their best to provide for their basic needs. 

Be a part of something special this Father's Day.  As you know, Karen & I are in the process of adopting 2 of these children.  Both have spent their entire 7 years on this earth in orphanages.  Both want more than anything a family to call their own.  Both face prescribed, dismal futures should they not find their heart's desire.  But before this can happen, Karen & I must raise some $35,000 to finish the adoption.  Of that, $7,500 is due immediately.  After much thought and deliberation, we've decided to appeal to each of you for help.  In exchange, for your help, we are making available a very special Father's Day offer.

At the urging of our website and marketing manager, we are offering the following special offers for anyone making a donation this Father's Day weekend:

Anyone making a donation of $10 or more will receive Dr. Thomas' Turbo Charged Childhood eBook (a $14.95 value) AND Dr. Thomas'Weekly Inspirational Thoughts for Parents & Teachers of ADHD Children eBook (a $9.95 value).

Donations of $50 or more will receive the gifts mentioned above as well as Dr. Thomas' NEW book entitled "12 Pillars and a Prayer: God's Secrets to Success, Prosperity, and Wealth"* (see details below).

Donations of $100 or more will receive hard copies of both "Turbo Charged Childhood" and "12 Pillars and a Prayer: God's Secrets to Success, Prosperity, and Wealth", each personally inscribed by Dr. Russell Thomas.

These books are valuable resources for anyone's library.  Turbo Charged Childhood is full of non-medicine interventions for those challenged with attention deficit.  Written from a distinctively Christian perspective, 12 Pillars and a Prayer is for anyone who has ever had financial challenges, i.e., pretty much everyone!  In 12 Pillars and a Prayer I tackle the question of "Does God really you to be successful, prosperous and wealthy"?  I think you will find both books to be easy, enjoyable reading that stimulates you to think outside of the box for both attention deficits and your finances!
 

I would like to close by inviting you to be a part of something special this Father's Day Weekend.  Make a difference to 2 young boys' lives and at the same time enjoy 2 of my special books!  Won't you please go to:

 

http://www.simplesolutions4.com/

and make a donation today?  The need is immediate and with your help we can make this a very special father's day!  Please share this opportunity with anyone that you think might benefit from my books by forwarding this email on to them.

Until we talk again, have a great Father's Day and I would that you prosper and be in good health,

"Beam me up, Scotty!"

"Beam me up, Scotty!" was the popular quote from the infamous Star Trek TV series.  The words were usually spoken when Captain Kirk was in a quandary and needed rescuing before some alien being consumed him in one fatal swoop.  We can relate right now.  The seemingly endless run of documents, follow up phone calls, and fundraisers dominate our lives right now.  No more do we finish with one set when another is due.  There was a point this week where we thought we saw some daylight at the end of the adoption tunnel.  The only thing that we can do is put our head down and keep running.  So we take it one day at a time, one form at a time, one fundraiser at a time and all the while remember why we are doing this.  We can only say, "help us bring our boys home!"  Until next time.

Cruise Control

This week has been one of "cruise control".  We have completed many documents and are now waiting from responses from various agencies.  The home study site visit is completed and we await final production of the home study report.  There is much done but much else to do.  The reality of bringing these boys into our home is starting to become a part of life and we just wish it was sooner than it is.  But at least there is a sense that we are making some progress at this point.  We are putting together another round of fundraisers throughout June and July.  It feels like were at this long straight stretch in the road where we just keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep running for the prize!  Until another day...

Running the Race

This week has been a wonderful week!  The saying is that flowers don't grow without rain and people don't grow without challenges.  What that means for us is that we grew leaps and bounds this week!  The home study site visit is in the books and we completed a myriad of forms and paperwork.  While we are somewhat exhausted and weary right now, we also have the assurance that everything is as it should be and that God is in control of our adoption, not to mention lives!  We're at that point of the race where we've covered some ground, enough to feel a little exhaustion, but still have much race left.  If you look too far ahead there is a sense of being overwhelmed.  So the thing to do is to break down the race into smaller "chunks" of tasks.  This next week we accomplish several "next things" on the task list.  Then, this time next week those things are completed and we're that much closer to getting our boys.  When I (Russell) get to feeling a little exasperated with the process, I simply go into the boys' room that Karen has so wonderfully prepared for them,(see previous post) and I get a different feeling.  Its one where I imagine the boys being in there safe, happy and part of our family and I get a sense of peace and joy...until next time...